Uncivil War
by Kitai Matsuru
Summary: Ch 8 up! -Prequel to Premonition-180 years before Premonition. This deals with the war that took place before Premonition started. Read Premontion before reading this, otherwise, you'll be confused. this is also sort of a drama as well. R&R. Audi.
1. The ZBC

Ah, so it begins. Sorry, couldn't help it. I saw Lord of the Rings and I'm seeing it again in two weeks. Anyway, this is the PREQUEL of PREMONITION. You may ask yourself why those are in capitals. It makes the words stand out more and draws attention to my pointless author's notes.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, but I do own the characters in this fic.no, honestly, I do. See for yourself.  
  
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"Risai! Get up! We're gonna be late!" yelled a 20 year old boy. He stood in what looked like a living room of a small apartment. He was dressed in blue jeans and a white, loose shirt. A black jacket accompanied his attire. He had emerald eyes, the deepest green there was. His hair was spiked and it was a silvery blue color. He stared impatiently at the door to one of the bedrooms.  
  
"Come on!" he yelled.  
  
"Just 5 more minutes!" yelled Risai.  
  
"If you have the energy to yell, then you can get up too!"  
  
"Fine! I'm going!" In her room, the 15-year-old Risai climbed out of bed. Her long blue hair was a mess and there was still sleep in her eyes. She walked over to her small dresser and took a comb. She combed out her hair and then pulled it back into pigtails that were located more towards the back of her head and down more.  
  
"Perfect," she said to the image in the mirror.  
  
"Hurry up!"  
  
"Gee Taban, don't rush me!" she yelled back. Taban was now pacing. The living room of the apartment was made of brown bricks and had one window. The floor was wooden. The couch was a cream color and there was also a desk with a computer on it. The kitchen was located next to the living room, but there was no door that connected them. The floors were different and that was what indicated it. Through the window was an overview of the street. There was a small, metal barred balcony with ladders that connected each one. It was the average, big city, small apartment. There was a ring from the doorbell. Taban sighed and walked over to open the door. He opened it and smiled.  
  
"You two ready yet?" she asked.  
  
"Not yet." He turned back to the room. "Risai!"  
  
"I'm coming!" He turned back to the girl. She had shoulder length red hair and mahogany colored eyes. She wore a pair of tan jeans and a navy blue, long sleeved shirt. Her tennis shoes were white.  
  
"Today's the big day," she said. "You excited?"  
  
"Of course," said Taban with a smile. "What about you Miharu? You excited?"  
  
"Am I excited? You bet! We're going to start a zoids team! Of course I'm excited!"  
  
"That's great. Risai!"  
  
"Enough, I'm here already," said Risai as she walked out her bedroom door. She was wearing a pair of blue shorts and a white shirt. A long blue overcoat hung to almost her knees, but was a little shorter. A blue baseball cap covered her head. All the blue on her made her cerulean eyes stand out even more. It was a rare type of blue coloring for eyes. She smiled as she walked over to them. "Well, I'm ready. Hi Miharu."  
  
"Hey Risai. Well, let's get going." The three of them walked out of the apartment room and down the halls. After going down a few flights of stairs, they reached the entrance. They walked out and began to walk down the streets. The building they were heading for wasn't that far away.  
  
"This'll be great! It'll be a new age of zoids," said Taban.  
  
"I agree. Battling sounds like fun. I wonder why they didn't think of this sooner," said Miharu.  
  
"What are they calling this group again? You know, the people who will run the battles?" asked Risai.  
  
"The Zoid Battle Commission," answered Taban.  
  
"So the ZBC will run the battles?"  
  
"Yeah. There will be rules and everything. And we'll get paid."  
  
"What a great life! Battling with zoids and getting paid for it! That's two great things in one!" exclaimed Risai.  
  
"You sure are happy about this," said Miharu.  
  
"Of course I am! I've dreamed about stuff like this." They all continued walking until they came to a huge building. They walked through the front doors and found themselves at the back of a line of people. The building was crammed full of people who wanted to sign up for a team.  
  
"Look at all these people," said Miharu.  
  
"I knew we should have gotten here early and we would have if someone hadn't take so long," said Taban. Risai gave him a sideward glare. She then turned her attention back to the long line of people.  
  
"I have an idea," she said.  
  
"And that would be?" asked Taban.  
  
"How about you two stay in line and I go to the fair grounds."  
  
"No way. If I have to stay, so do you."  
  
"Then I'll just have to stand her and sing. 'I know a song that gets on everybody's..."  
  
"Okay! You can go!"  
  
"Cool! Bye!" Miharu laughed at the irritated look on Taban's face as Risai ran out of the building, leaving the two of them to stand in line.  
  
******  
  
Risai made it to the fair grounds and began to walk around. The sandy ground was fenced off with a wire fence. Food, game, and gift stands were everywhere. There weren't many rides, but everything was always fun there. She walked around for a little while and took note of all the people who were there. She was looking for people she knew, but they were mostly people from out of town. Most had come to sign up as zoid warriors.  
  
"This place sure is crowded," said Risai to herself. She turned around and began to walk backwards. "I gotta find something to do." She wasn't watching where she was going and soon bumped into something, or someone. She heard an irritated growl come from what she had bumped into. She turned around and looked up to see a man with dark hair and eyes. He was dressed like a punk and was a good foot taller than she was. There were two other men with him, each similar. "Sorry," said Risai quietly and nervously. She turned again. "I'll be leaving now." She was about to walk away when the man grabbed the back of her shirt and held her still.  
  
"Where do you think you're going, girl?" asked the man. "I think you owe me for bumping into me like that. Pay up." "Um...let me think about it." She pulled away and the man was left with only her over coat. "I think not." She began to run, but didn't get far. The men were faster than she was. She was punched from behind and she fell to the ground hard. The people around the area began to flee. They were afraid of getting involved. Others stayed to see what would happen.  
  
"Now about that money," said the leader. Risai pushed herself up on her hands and knees.  
  
"I don't have any money," she said.  
  
"I think you're lying."  
  
"It's the truth." The man kicked her and she fell on her back. She was breathing hard.  
  
"Pay up or we'll have to hurt you."  
  
"Hey ugly. Leave her alone."  
  
The men looked to the side. A boy walked over to them. He seemed about 19 or so. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans, a blue shirt, and a black overcoat. His sapphire hair was partially spiked, mostly towards the front. The hair in the back hung down to his ears. His eyes were a navy blue color. He wore a very smug and confident look on his face as he approached the men. He stood with his hands in his pockets.  
  
"You talking to us?" asked the leader. The man stopped.  
  
"No, of course not. There are plenty of ugly guys around here who are picking on defenseless girls."  
  
"Hey boss. He just called us ugly," said one of the men.  
  
"Boy, you guys sure catch on quick."  
  
"No one insults us and gets away with it. Let's get him!" The three men ran at him, but he simply moved out of the way and tripped one of them, his hands still in his pockets. The other two turned around and ran at him again. He stepped back and kicked one of them in the gut. He had a bored look on his face. He was making it look too easy. His hands were still in his pockets. The leader finally got a hold of him by grabbing the front of his shirt.  
  
"You think you're so smart, don't ya?" asked the leader harshly.  
  
"No, I don't think, I know." He kneed the guy in the chest and the leader released his shirt. He then fell to the ground. The guy just stared at them, sighed, and then walked over to Risai.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked  
  
"I'm fine, I think."  
  
"Need a hand?" He extended his hand to her. She accepted and he helped to pull her up to her feet.  
  
"Thanks for helping me out back there. That was amazing."  
  
"No biggie. By the way, the name's Rainer. And you are?"  
  
"Risai."  
  
"That's a pretty name, but not as pretty as you." Risai blushed slightly. Rainer just smiled. He then looked at his watch. "Oh geez, I'm gonna be late. Sorry, but I gotta get back to work. The boss hates it when I'm late."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Bye Risai. Maybe I'll see ya around sometime!" he shouted as he ran off, away from the fair grounds.  
  
"Maybe," said Risai, as she began to head back to the registration building.  
  
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That's all for the first chapter. What do you think? This story will help fill in any questions that weren't answered in the other parts. As you can already guess, it takes place 180 years before PREMONITION.  
  
That's all I wanted to say. Now REVIEW! (LOL) Audi^.^ 


	2. Rainer's Truth

Hi again. It's me. Yep, it's me. I decided to write the next chapter. Please read and review, okay? Please!  
  
Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
  
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Risai was still walking along the fair grounds. She was retracing her steps.  
  
"Where is my jacket?" she asked herself. She looked around and, soon enough, she found it. She ran over and picked it up. She then sighed. "Good. It's in one piece. Those jerks, throwing my jacket on the ground." She quickly put it back on and then turned around. "I guess I should go see how Taban and Miharu are doing." She walked through the entrance and began to head back towards the building they were at.  
  
******  
  
Rainer was running down the street as fast as he could.  
  
"Dad's gonna kill me," he said to himself. He came to the large building where the Zoid Battle Commission was, along with many people registering for teams. He ran in and then ran past the many lines. He went up to one of the register desks, which was the closest to the far right corner where a door was. The registration person at the desk turned towards him as he ran up.  
  
"Rainer, where were you?" she asked.  
  
"Sorry," he apologized. The corner door opened and a man in a white lab coat came out.  
  
"You're late," he said as he tossed Rainer a lab coat. He quickly put it on. "We've already started."  
  
"Sorry, I got caught up in something." Both of them walked through the door, closing it behind them.  
  
******  
  
Risai walked up to the huge building.  
  
"I wonder how they're doing. Maybe they're already at the desk. Maybe they already registered." She walked through the huge doors and looked through the huge lines of people. Taban and Miharu were halfway through the line. They stood in the farthest one to the right. The registration person was a girl. Risai sighed and walked back over to them.  
  
"Hi," she said.  
  
"Hey," said Miharu. "Did you have fun?"  
  
"I guess. It was okay, but I've been there before." Taban stood silently, still upset about Risai's antics. He looked over at her and noticed that her overcoat was kind of dirty. He then noticed that she had scrapes on her knees.  
  
"Risai, what happened?" he asked, a little worried.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Where did you get those scratches?"  
  
"Those? Don't worry, they're not even half as bad as the bruise I have on my arm...oops."  
  
"I want an explanation."  
  
"There you go, acting all brotherly again. I said don't worry."  
  
"If you haven't noticed, I am your brother, and I want an explanation."  
  
"I tripped and fell, that's all," she lied.  
  
"You fell?"  
  
"Yeah, you know me. I'm not exactly the queen of grace."  
  
"She's got a point," said Miharu. Risai glared at her, but was, in a way, happy that she had help on this one.  
  
"Yeah, okay," said Taban. "Just be more careful."  
  
"You got it." Risai smiled at her work. 'I'm so good at this,' she thought to herself. The line was slowly moving forward. All of a sudden, a huge explosion could be heard, but the building didn't shake. It seemed to come from the right corner. There was a door on the right wall near the corner.  
  
"What was that?" asked Miharu.  
  
"Got me," said Taban. Another explosion could be heard and everyone turned their attention towards the right wall as the door flew open and a man in black pants, a blue shirt, black overcoat, and a white lab coat, came flying out of the room. He hit the metal registration desk and then slid to the hard metal floor. The receptionist at the desk stood up and walked over to him. He moaned slightly and his white lab coat had burn marks on it.  
  
"Rainer, are you alright?" she asked. Risai straightened at his name. 'Rainer was that guy,' she thought to herself as she watched what was happening. He moaned once more as he tried to move but couldn't.  
  
"I think I'll live," he said. He didn't try moving again and decided to just lie there. They all could hear footsteps approaching. Three men came walking up from the back of the line. Two looked like secret agents or detectives and the one who walked in front looked important. He wore a gray and blue coat in military style and had black, short hair. He looked around 45 or even 50. He had a stern look on his face as he made his way forward. The receptionist looked at him and stood up, backing away from Rainer. The man stopped and looked down at him. Rainer looked up at the man as he was lying on the floor.  
  
"Hi," he said, raising one hand as if he were going to wave.  
  
"Care to explain?" asked the man.  
  
"We were developing some new types of zoids and the lab sort of caught on fire," explained Rainer. "Not to mention our little project kind of exploded along with it." Rainer had a nervous look on his face. The man sighed and then stared at him.  
  
"I told you to be careful with my science projects. Now we'll have to start from scratch."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"So, should I call the hospital?"  
  
"I think I'll be okay, but it might be a while before I can move properly."  
  
"Then I'll call an ambulance."  
  
"No, I said I'm fine, but someone should probably put out that fire."  
  
"Go get the fire extinguishers." The two men nodded and walked over towards the fire extinguishers that hung on the wall. They took them and then walked into the burning room.  
  
"Thanks," said Rainer.  
  
"No problem." Suddenly, the sound of someone stomping down on the metal floor was heard. Everyone looked as 5 mean looking guys came walking towards Rainer and the man. They stopped about halfway between where Rainer was and the door to the building. Risai recognized 3 of them as the guys who hassled her at the fair grounds. She hid behind Taban and Miharu as they stopped right by her.  
  
"Who are you?" asked the important looking guy. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"We're here for him," said the one in front of the other four. "We're going to pay you back for this afternoon."  
  
"Rainer, explain yourself," said the man.  
  
"Don't worry, but I think you'd be safer right now in the lab room."  
  
"It's on fire."  
  
"I know, but you'll be safer there. Trust me. Just go."  
  
"Alright." He walked into the fiery room and closed the door behind him. The room had more or less been put out though, since all of them had fire extinguishers.  
  
"Hey guys," said Rainer. "I'm not really in the mood to fight with you, so, could we reschedule?"  
  
"You think you're really funny, don't you," said the leader in more of a statement than a question.  
  
"Not really," answered Rainer.  
  
"If you won't fight with us, then we'll just have to fight with this crowd instead," said the leader. (A/N okay, think Dr. Layon, except young, punk, and slightly taller...and boy is he tall.) The man pulled back his fist and was about to hit someone from the crowd.  
  
"Wait," yelled Rainer. He pushed himself up on his elbows, but felt a pain in his back and slumped back down to the floor. "Leave them alone," he pleaded. The leader stopped in mid punch and looked at Rainer.  
  
"I can't believe you're the one who took out three of my guys," he said. Rainer just stared at the man, a look of hate on his face. Risai was trying to see what was going on without being seen by the guys. She came out a little too far and one of them turned to her. She quickly tried to hide.  
  
"Hey, it's you," said the man. "The little punk girl who tricked us. This is all your fault." Risai tried to shrink and disappear.  
  
"You must be mistaken," she said. The man turned to his boss.  
  
"Hey boss, that's the kid we told you about. She's the one who ran into us at the fair grounds." Both Taban and Miharu turned to look at Risai.  
  
"You tripped and fell, huh?" said Taban. Risai didn't say anything. The leader reached out and grabbed her by the front of her shirt and dragged her out of the line.  
  
"So you're the girl," he said.  
  
"Hey!" shouted Taban. "Leave her alone."  
  
"Why should I?" Taban pulled his fist back and punched it forward, but it was caught with the man's other hand. One of the other gang members punched Taban in the stomach, making him fall to his knees. Miharu knelt down next to him.  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked. He didn't say anything. He just glared at the gang.  
  
"Leave my brother alone," said Risai. Rainer finally pushed himself to his elbows again and looked to the group. His eyes widened as he saw who the leader was holding.  
  
"Risai..." he whispered. He was in too much pain to move any further. "Don't." The leader looked to him. "Just leave her alone. It isn't her fault. I'm the one you're after." He shut his eyes tightly and began to stand up slowly. He was on his feet after a while, but his posture wasn't great. He was hunched forward. He lifted his head and glared at the guys.  
  
"Fight me," he said.  
  
"Now things get interesting," said the leader. He threw Risai aside. She landed on the ground hard. She pushed herself to her elbows.  
  
"You all right?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," she answered. The leader began to walk towards Rainer, who stood his ground and tightened his fists.  
  
"Rainer, you're in no condition to fight," said the receptionist who had been hiding behind her desk.  
  
"I can handle these guys, don't worry." The leader ran forward and punched towards Rainer, who dodged easily, but the sudden movement was too much and his body began to hurt. The man quickly turned and aimed another punch. It connected with the side of Rainer's face and he was sent to the ground.  
  
"This is the guy that beat you up?" asked the leader in disbelief. "He's nothing but a pathetic weakling." Rainer pushed himself up onto his elbows, but he was lying on his chest this time instead of his back. He glared at the leader again. "Time to finish this." The man then lurched forward, a surprised look on his face as he fell forward. Rainer watched him fall to the ground and then glanced up. Taban stood there, his fist in a punch.  
  
"You know, that punch really hurt," he said.  
  
"You might wanna look behind you," said Rainer. Taban turned around and punched another one of the guys, but got punched by the other and joined Rainer on the floor.  
  
"Two attacks in one day," said Rainer. "I'm so lucky, not to mention popular."  
  
"It's good to know you can still stay funny when you're about to die," said another of the men. Only three were left standing. The man who had just said something suddenly fell over, a shocked look on his face too. Behind him stood Miharu and Risai.  
  
"Nice job girls," said Taban.  
  
"Thanks," said Miharu. There were still two guys left.  
  
"Look out." They both turned to see another guy coming at them. They both stepped back and side kicked him in the gut, sending him to the floor. They turned back around. Miharu walked over to Taban. Risai just stood there watching. She was counting the members of the gang.  
  
"Four," she whispered to herself. 'There were five,' she noted mentally. Rainer looked up and glanced behind her, where the fifth one was. He was approaching quickly.  
  
"Look out. Behind..." He didn't have enough time to finish. Risai side stepped again and kicked the guy in the chest. "...you."  
  
"You were saying?" asked Risai, as the guy fell to the floor.  
  
"Wow."  
  
"That's what I thought."  
  
"Why didn't you do that this afternoon?" Risai just shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. I guess I was just caught off guard."  
  
"That makes sense." Risai smiled and walked over to him.  
  
"Need a hand?"  
  
"I think I got it now." He pushed himself to his feet and stood up as straight as he could manage. His body still ached. Miharu stood up and helped Taban to his feet.  
  
"Nice work bro," said Risai.  
  
"You guys were amazing," said Rainer. "How'd you all learn to fight?"  
  
"My dad taught me," answered Taban. "And I taught these two."  
  
"Interesting."  
  
"What's your story?" asked Miharu.  
  
"Well, I'm..." He didn't have time to finish. The leader sprung up quickly and grabbed him around the neck, cutting off his air. "Rainer," said Risai in a worried tone. Rainer had his eyes shut tightly. He took both his arms, and was about to jam them back into the man's chest, but the guy saw it coming and tightened his grip, making Rainer drop his arms back to his sides.  
  
"Can't...breath..." said Rainer.  
  
"Let him go," said Taban. He took a step forward, but the man stepped back.  
  
"Move any closer and I'll break his neck." They all stayed where they were. They glanced over and saw the receptionist, who had grabbed hold of her foldable metal chair. She had it folded and quietly snuck behind them man. She then hit him with it with all her might. The leader released Rainer, who fell to the floor. The leader then fell too, completely knocked out. They ran over to Rainer, who was lying on the floor unconscious.  
  
"Is he alright?" asked Miharu. The receptionist checked for a pulse and found one.  
  
"He's fine, I think."  
  
"I'll go call the police," said Taban, as he walked off to find a phone.  
  
"You're sure he's okay?" asked Risai.  
  
"Well..."  
  
"No, he's not okay," said Rainer quietly. "He needs mouth to mouth resuscitation."  
  
"He's fine," said the receptionist. Rainer opened his eyes and looked around. "Did you really think that would work?"  
  
"I can try, can't I?"  
  
"You look death in the eye and yet you can laugh about it. There aren't many like you around, Rainer."  
  
"Yeah, I know. Thanks for saving me, Kristy."  
  
"Anything for the boss's son."  
  
"Aw, come on. That's not the only reason, is it?"  
  
"Do you really want an answer to that?"  
  
"Not really. Man, you're harsh."  
  
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have a line of people to take care of, starting with you," she said, pointing to Miharu and Risai.  
  
"Us?" they asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What's so special that we get to cut the line?"  
  
"You guys just took out a gang and you didn't even have to. Not to mention you saved Rainer."  
  
"How's that a big thing?" asked Risai.  
  
"Hey!" shouted Rainer.  
  
"Sorry," she said.  
  
"Well, he's the son of my boss."  
  
"And your boss is?" Just then, the laboratory door opened and the very important looking guy walked out, followed by the two men in black suits.  
  
"Are you alright son?"  
  
"Yeah, dad, I'm fine," answered Rainer as he stood up.  
  
"Dad?" asked Risai.  
  
"Yeah, um, this is my dad, the leader and founder of the Zoid Battle Commission."  
  
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That was fun, wasn't it? You tell me. I'll write more as soon as people review. How many, I don't know, but just some people. Audi^.^ 


	3. So It Begins

Here's another chapter. I can't think of much else to day right now.  
  
Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
  
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"So let me get this strait," said Taban. He, Miharu, and Risai had been invited to come to Rainer's house after registering. They were all sitting on couches. "He's your dad."  
  
"Yeah, that's what I said," answered Rainer. "Why is that so hard to believe?"  
  
"Because...well, he's nothing like you," answered Miharu. Rainer's dad just laughed.  
  
"I get that a lot," he said. "Rainer really is nothing like me."  
  
"Thanks dad. Way to be supportive."  
  
"I'm sorry son, but it's true."  
  
"Is it just the two of you who live here?" asked Risai.  
  
"Yes," answered Rainer's dad.  
  
"Interesting."  
  
"Well, now I have an actual question," started Taban. "Exactly when does the Zoid battle season start?"  
  
"It will begin in a few weeks. Everyone will get registered and then we'll hold trails."  
  
"Trials for what?"  
  
"There will be different classes depending on your skill as a team. The classes will be determined by the numbers C,B,A, and S."  
  
"Oh. So the trials are for people to see what skill level their team is at."  
  
"Yes, that's correct."  
  
"Interesting."  
  
"There will also be strict rules in order to guarantee the safety of the pilots. If people violate these rules, then they will be disqualified."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Well, enough talk about his," said Rainer, standing up from his seat. "Let's have something to eat."  
  
"I'm up for that," said Risai. They all stood up and walked into the kitchen, looking for something to eat.  
  
******  
  
The double moons of Zi were high in the sky, surrounded by stars. The night sky was beautiful. The door to an apartment room opened and three people walked in.  
  
"Boy, what a long day," said Risai as she walked over to the couch and fell down face first.  
  
"I know," agreed Miharu. "Who would have thought we'd meet somebody famous today."  
  
"I know I didn't," answered Taban. He walked in a little further and then looked at a clock. "It's already 10:00."  
  
"Really?" asked Miharu.  
  
"If you want, you can stay here for the night," offered Taban.  
  
"Thanks Taban," said Miharu.  
  
"You can have Risai's room."  
  
"Hey!" yelled Risai.  
  
"You're already on the couch, so what's the difference?"  
  
"Why can't she have your room?"  
  
"Because I'm a guy. Goodnight!" Taban walked into his room and shut the door. Miharu looked to Risai for an answer. Risai just waved her off.  
  
"Don't worry, I don't mind. Enjoy."  
  
"Thanks." Miharu walked into Risai's room and closed the door. Risai sighed and turned over onto her back.  
  
"I wish we had a skylight. Then I could look at the stars." Risai turned to her side and looked at the coffee table next to her. There were many picture frames on the table. She stared at them. There was one in particular. It had a picture of a family in it. The father figure stood taller than the other three. The mother was next to him. In front were two children, a boy and a girl. Each had a smile on their face. The mother had a small smile, but the father looked emotionless. His eyes didn't display any joy and his mouth was strait, no smile graced his lips.  
  
"We're a broken family," said Risai. She then rolled to her other side and stared at the back of the couch. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.  
  
******  
  
Rainer's father walked into a large room, full of men sitting in chairs around a huge table.  
  
"What was so important that I had to come here on such short notice?" he asked. A man wearing a blue navy like coat stood up. His hair was brown and so were his eyes.  
  
"Sir, we received a message from a mysterious organization. We aren't sure what we should do about it."  
  
"What did they say?"  
  
"Here. We'll let you see the message yourself." He walked over to a large screen and pushed a few buttons. The screen lit up and a picture of a man appeared on the screen.  
  
"General Roan Toru," started the man. "We are the Dark Blazers. We are here to tell you that we hate what you're doing. Your so called 'zoid battles' are nothing more than childish games. We believe there needs to be more excitement in them, more danger. Each should be like a mini war, where anything can happen. A battle shouldn't be safe and easy, like you make them out to be. We will change these rules, whether you like it or not. Mark my words, we will rule the world of zoid battles." The screen went black.  
  
"Pathetic. No one in their right mind would attack the Zoid Battle Commission," said Roan.  
  
"I wouldn't take their threats so lightly, sir. They may seem like a bunch of unorganized terrorists, but they did seem serious."  
  
"We shouldn't worry too much. Now lets get to sleep boys. We have a big day ahead of us."  
  
"Yes sir." Roan smiled and walked out the door. He walked through the building and eventually came to the doors that led to the outside. He opened the doors and was about to walk out, but was stopped by a man wearing a black cloak.  
  
"Are you Roan Toru, the leader of the Zoid Battle Commission?" asked the man. His voice was emotionless, but had a slight icy tone to it.  
  
"Yes, I am. Do I know you?" The man pulled something from his pocket. Roan's eyes went wide. The object was a handgun. The man brought it up.  
  
"No, you don't, but that will no longer matter." He pulled the trigger. Roan fell to the ground; a pool of his own blood began to form under him. The man put his gun back into his pocket-like sling at his side. "My name is Toran Lohan, but that no longer matters, now does it?" He didn't expect an answer, and he didn't get one.  
  
******  
  
The door to Taban's room opened and he lazily walked out. He yawned and brushed a hand through his hair. He looked around and found that both Miharu and Risai were already up and making breakfast.  
  
"Good morning Taban," said Miharu.  
  
"Yeah, good morning bro. How do you like your eggs?"  
  
"You should know that," he answered as he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV.  
  
"Gee, don't be so mean about it. I was just asking."  
  
"Sorry sis. Scrambled, okay?"  
  
"Okay." She walked over and set a plate down on his lap. It contained bacon and scrambled eggs.  
  
"That was fast."  
  
"I know. I made them about five minutes ago."  
  
"Then why did you ask me?"  
  
"I don't know. I just felt like it." She began to walk back to the kitchen to get her own meal. Taban smiled and then turned back to his TV program. Suddenly, the screen went fuzzy and was soon replaced by a man in a business suit. He sat at a desk with papers in front of him. The letters ZBC were behind him.  
  
"We interrupt these stations to bring you all an important message. We will broadcast on every channel. Please listen in. We have some sad news today." Risai and Miharu walked into the room and stood behind the couch, looking at the TV. "Late last night, horror struck the planet Zi. The leader of the Zoid Battle Commission, General Roan Toru, was killed."  
  
"WHAT?!" shouted all three of them, their faces displaying pure terror.  
  
"He was killed?" asked Miharu in shock, unable to believe it.  
  
"But how?" asked Taban, knowing no one could hear his question and give an answer.  
  
"Poor Rainer. I wonder how he's taking it," said Risai. They all eagerly watched the TV.  
  
"We are devastated to bring you this news, and only two weeks before the zoid season would start. We bring you now, live, to the HQ of the ZBC." The scene switched to the inside of the ZBC building. A man with brown hair and blue eyes appeared, surrounded by reporters. He stood in front of them all, his face full of grief. He was wearing a gray military coat.  
  
"Captain Gordon, exactly what do you plan to do about this?"  
  
"We're not sure at this point in time."  
  
"Who will lead the ZBC now?"  
  
"We're not sure yet."  
  
"What about the General's son. Where is he? Shouldn't he be here right now? Won't he be leading the ZBC from now on?"  
  
"One question at a time please. Sir Rainer is grief stricken right now. I don't think he will be ready to lead any time soon. Until a suitable replacement is found, I will be running things."  
  
"What do you plan to do?"  
  
"I thought I already answered this question."  
  
"Please sir. The world needs to know."  
  
"Well..."  
  
"Wait," came a voice from off camera. Rainer walked up to the podium. "I'll take over here, captain," he said quietly. The captain looked at him and then nodded. He stepped down and Rainer took his place.  
  
"Sir, what do you plan to do?"  
  
"Please hold back all your questions until I'm done speaking." There was a serious look on his face and tone in his voice. He seemed a lot like his father. His nineteen years of age didn't show much. The man in front of them was no longer the fun loving teen he had been, but a serious general of a huge organization. "We received a message from a group known as the Dark Blazers before and after my father was killed. The first one threatened him, and the second one threatened all of us. The Dark Blazers have declared war against the Zoid Battle Commission and its followers."  
  
"What course of action do you plan on taking?"  
  
"I would like for all the zoid warriors who signed up yesterday to come down to the HQ at 3:00 this afternoon. I'll announce my decision there after talking it over, but I will mention this. War is inevitable."  
  
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I think I'll leave it at that. I'm sorry for any spelling and or grammar mistakes, since I didn't have the time to fix it. If there's anything major, then tell me and I'll fix it, okay? Review! Audi^.^ 


	4. The Trials Begin

Man, I was really pushed for time.  I've had two weeks to work on my major update, and when do I start it?  On the last three days.  Then I find out that my friend wants me over for Thursday, so I was gone all day, and Friday was out of the question, since they were coming over to my house.  That left Wednesday, which I didn't have either.  Our friend Lisa was over and we spent the whole afternoon swimming, watching the Matrix and talking.  Now when did I write this, you may ask.  Well, during the late hours at night and the wee hours of the morning.  I'm pathetic, ne?

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids, but I do own the characters of this story.

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The ZBC headquarters was packed full of zoid warriors, all of which followed the ZBC.  They were conversing about the recent news and most were talking about the war that they wouldn't be able to escape.  They all had their reasons for being there and each one was willing to go forth to the battlefield in order to fight for the ZBC.  They weren't about to give up something they had waited so long for.  Suddenly, the metal doors opened, causing a loud clash to be heard.  The room fell silent as the new leader of the ZBC walked in.  All eyes were on the nineteen year old.  He was so young to have such a responsibility placed on his shoulders.  He wasn't quite ready, but there was no choice.  He was the son of the ZBC leader, and it was only right that he took his father's place.  He approached a stage with a podium on it.  He cleared his throat and then spoke into the microphone.

"Fellow zoid warriors, thank you for coming.  We have some important things to discuss.  I, Rainer Toru, son of Roan Toru, will now be heading the ZBC.  If there are any objections, then please speak now."  No one said anything.  "Don't be afraid to tell me.  I know that because I'm only nineteen that many of you are probably skeptical about the upcoming future of the Zoid Battle Commission, but I assure you, it will be no different from how my father ran it."  There was still silence.  "Since no one wants to speak up, I'll just continue.  We've been discussing what to do about this situation, and we've come up with one conclusion.  We will be going to war against the Dark Blazers."  It was still silent.  "If anyone disagrees with the decision, then please speak now, or I will continue."  Still no one spoke.  "Is anyone alive out there?" he asked, which earned him a few snickers.  Rainer just smiled.  "It seems you are.  Anyway, I called you all here today to announce that we will be needing soldiers to fight for us.  We will use the next week to test your abilities and put you in ranks.  You will be divided among these ranks, but rest assured; teams will stay together.  Do you agree with this idea?"  They all nodded.  Rainer had to admit that it was quite an interesting thing to see every head nod at once.  He smiled to himself.  "Well then, let's get this started.  I'm going to break you into groups.  I was looking over the roster for teams and found out that we have a pretty even amount of teams, so the teams on the roster over there will go with Captain Gordon to our training base in Jostan City.  The rest of you will remain here with me and train at the training ground here.  Now, go look at the rosters, find your places and in about half an hour, we'll get started.  That's all."  Rainer stepped down from the podium as the teams began looking at the two huge rosters that hung on the walls.  Rainer left through the metal doors and started walking down the halls.  Captain Gordon approached him and was soon walking beside him.

"Rainer, I mean sir, I mean General Toru, I…"

"Please, Gordon, just call me Rainer, or Sir Rainer.  Whatever you prefer."

"Sir Rainer, why did you fix the rosters?"

"What do you mean?"

"You purposely placed certain people in your group.  Why is that?"

"Because I want to keep an eye on some of them, that's all.  You remember our latest project, right?  The one that dad was so hooked on finishing?"

"Yeah, I remember it, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm going to finish it for him."

"What?  But sir…"

"Please don't argue.  I know it'll take some work and it's not one of the most reliable experiments, but just think about what we could accomplish if it actually works.  Don't you want to see it?  Don't you even care?"

"Of course I do, but it's still very experimental.  You don't even know if it'll work, or what kind of side effects might occur.  Are you willing to risk the lives of those warriors in order to test your machine?"

"I never said I'd test it on them.  Once it's finished, I'll test it on myself."

"What?  That's insane!  Sir, what if you die?  Then who will lead the ZBC?"

"You, of course."

"Me?"

"Yes.  You'd make a great leader, Captain.  If anything happens to me, you will take over."

"I understand sir, but don't let anything happen to you.  The loss of your father was hard enough.  We don't need to lose you as well."

"Nothing will happen.  I may not look it, but I'm a genius when it comes to science.  Have a little faith, will ya?"

"If you say so, sir."

"Alright, now lets go get prepared.  I want you to take your group soon, all right?  And remember to keep track of all of the data and then send it back to me.  I need those reports to be accurate."

"As you wish, sir.  Good luck."

"Thanks."  Rainer watched as the captain turned around and walked down the hallway, back towards the room filled with zoid warriors.  Rainer kept walking and went into his new office.  It was actually his dad's old one.  He sighed as he sat down in the huge rolling chair.

"I never thought I'd end up here, at least not until I was older.  Dad…why did you have to leave?  I'm not sure if I can do this on my own."  He picked up a clipboard that had his roster on it.  The list of the teams and their members were written on the sheets of paper.  He flipped through them and then smiled at one team in particular.  The members on it were three people he knew quite well.  Risai, Taban, and Miharu.  He smiled at the three names and then set the board down.  He leaned back in his chair and decided to rest for the half an hour.  The next week was going to be long and hard.

******

"It looks like we're staying here," said Taban.  Risai smiled.  Having Rainer there was going to make things a whole lot easier.

"Risai, why are you so happy?" asked Miharu.  Risai dropped her smile and turned her head to the side.

"What do you mean?  I'm just glad that our team gets to stick together.  I don't know what I'd do without you guys.  I'd be so lonely."

"I'm sure you would," said Taban.

"And what does that mean?" asked Risai angrily.

"You'd probably find someone to talk to.  You're good at that.  However, it's still a good thing that we get to stay together.  Miharu and I need to protect these people from you."

"What's that mean?!"

"It's simple.  You're annoying."  He had said it so simply that it caused something to snap in the fifteen year old.  She tried to punch him, but Miharu got behind her and held her back.

"Let me go!  Just wait till I get my hands on you, Taban!  You're gonna wish you were never born!"  Taban just watched with amusement.  'She's so easy to get to,' he thought to himself.  Eventually, Risai calmed down.  They had been messing around for nearly a half an hour now.  The whole room was silent as they waited for their leader to return.  However, captain Gordon was the only one who came into the room.  He got up to the podium and cleared his throat.

"I'm Captain Gordon of the ZBC.  Sir Rainer has asked that you please separate into your groups.  Those of you who are going to Jostan, please follow me.  The transporter is waiting.  The rest of you should wait here until Sir Rainer returns.  That is all."  He stepped down and began to head out the door.  The warriors followed him.  Soon enough, half the room was empty.  The minutes began to tick by slowly, and Rainer wasn't showing up.

******

"Sir!  Are you in there?  Open up!  Sir!"  One of the workers at the headquarters was knocking on the door to Rainer's office.  However, there was no response.  "Sir!!" he shouted again.  Still nothing.  He opened the door slowly.  It didn't feel right to go in without permission, but the nineteen year old wasn't answering the door.  When he went in, he nearly face faulted.  Their new leader was sleeping in his chair when there were things that needed to be done.

"Sir!!" he shouted, causing Rainer to spring awake and fall out of his chair.  He tried to stand up, but hit his head on the desk.  He eventually got up, rubbing the back of his head and giving the man an annoyed glare.

"What?  You didn't have to yell like that."

"Sir, it's already been an hour."

"What?!  Why didn't you tell me sooner?"  Rainer quickly ran for the door, nearly knocking the man over.  Rainer sprinted down the hallway until he reached the huge metal doors.  He threw them open forcefully, which made an incredibly loud bang.  All eyes were on Rainer as he ran to the podium, panting.  He took in a deep breath and then let it out.

"Sorry I'm late.  We will now begin the trials.  Please follow me."  The warriors all began to follow Rainer through another pair of double doors.  They walked quietly, following their new leader through the twisting hallways.  They then came to another pair of double doors, which slid open when Rainer approached.  He walked in and then let the warriors in.  All of them were in shock.  The room they were now standing in was huge.  It was like an arena.  There were different machines set up and tons of obstacles that were most likely used to test the skills of a warrior.

"This is where you will be tested," said Rainer, facing the impressed and shocked warriors.  He smiled at their stunned faces.  It was all very entertaining to him.  "All right then.  If you guys will follow me, I'll lead you to the zoids you will be using."  They walked into another area, which was like a hanger.  There were hundreds of zoids in it.  Rainer turned to them and motioned towards the zoids.

"These are the zoids you will use.  We will test as many of you as we can at a time.  Now, let's get started.  Let the trials begin!"

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Short, I know, but that's why there's two^.^  That's right, two chapters, cause I feel bad about not updating for six months, so I'm making up for it.  I promise I'll stop neglecting these fics, alright?  I just got caught up in my Inuyasha fanfiction, but I'll do more for my other fics now, alright?

Audi^.^


	5. Assassination Attempt

Well, not much to say really, except that I'm enjoying this.  I like writing this fic, so please review, okay?  I'm doing this for you guys, so you better review.  Alright, alright.

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids, so don't sue me.

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For an entire week, they did nothing but test out their skills.  The warriors were actually much more skilled than Rainer had first considered.  It would be hard to rank the warriors, but he was going to do it.  He was enjoying watching them.  All the warriors stayed at the gigantic base during the trials.  The base was mostly underground, so it was a lot bigger than it appeared to be.  An announcement had been made that they would continue the trials and training for another week and no one argued with the decision.  In fact, they all seemed happy and eager, which made Rainer start to think about it.  Why?  Why were they all so eager to go to war?  He decided that he was going to find out no matter what.  When they were all eating dinner, he went to the front of the room.

"Please be quiet for a moment," he said.  They all went silent eventually and turned their eyes to him.  "I want to know something, and I want an honest answer.  Why?  Why are you all so eager to go to war?"  It was silent.  "Please tell me.  I need to know.  I'm sure you all have your own reasons.  Some of you want to protect your families, others want to protect all of Zi, some are doing it because it's something to do, and others, I'm sure, enjoy fighting and the risk of getting killed."

"What about you?" asked one of the warriors.

"Yeah, why are you fighting?  Why do you want to go to war?" asked another.  Rainer just bowed his head and stared towards the ground.

"I have a number of reasons, but the strongest isn't what you think.  Most of you probably think I'm doing this to get revenge for my father, but it's not.  In fact, that's the last reason.  Revenge won't bring my father back to life, so there's no point in that.  So what am I fighting for?  Everything.  I'm fighting for myself, for my friends, for all of Zi, and for the future.  I don't want zoid battles to turn into death matches.  I want it to be a sport, a job, a way to let yourself be free.  I don't want the Dark Blazers to rule over Zi, so I'll do everything in my power to stop them from winning this war.  I want to make my father proud of the ZBC and I want to make everyone believe that I'm qualified for this job.  That's my reason.  I'm fighting for all of you…for your future."  It was silent for a while, until someone started to clap.  Suddenly, more began to, and even more, until the whole room was clapping.  Rainer seemed surprised.

"You're already qualified to be our leader," spoke one man.

"No one could do better."

"Yeah!  We're behind you all the way!"

"We'll fight for a future!"  Rainer smiled.  Maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as he thought it was.

******

It was late and Rainer had decided to retire to his room.  He wore a smile on his face.  He couldn't shake the feeling of the applause he had gotten.  They believed in him, and he wasn't about to let them down.  He would show the entire planet that he was qualified to be a leader.  He would lead the ZBC to victory, no matter what happened.  He soon reached his room.  It was dark out now, but something didn't feel right.  He reached for his key that would unlock the door and eventually found it.  He placed it in the hole and tried to turn it, but the door slowly opened on its own.  Rainer just stood there.

"Strange.  I could have sworn I had locked it when I left," he said.  The door opened slowly and Rainer looked in.  It was dark, just as he had left it.  Rainer began to walk over to his desk as light spilled into the room.  The hallways were still lit so that the warriors could find their ways back to their rooms.  However, the warriors were already mostly asleep.  Rainer walked towards his desk slowly.  He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he didn't like it at all.  He knew he had locked that door.  Something didn't feel right to him, and he wasn't sure what it was.  When he got within a few feet of the desk, he heard a click.  Rainer stopped dead in his tracks.  He turned around and looked over at his table that sat near the right wall.  His eyes widened as he saw what had caused the click.

"Oh sh-."  But he never got the chance to finish as the bomb on the table went off, sending out a huge explosion.  Rainer braced himself as the bomb exploded, but it didn't help.  He was thrown back into the hallway and right into the wall.

"What was that?" shouted some of the warriors who had woken up from the explosion and the sound of people running down the halls.  Some of the officials at the building were now running towards the explosion.

"Sir Rainer!" shouted Captain Gordon.  He had retuned in a week.  He wanted to check up on the young leader and had left one of the other captains in charge at Jostan City.  He quickly left his room and began sprinting down the hallway towards Rainer's office.  He joined up with some more officials who were also heading in the same direction.  'Please let him be okay.  I would never forgive myself if he died,' thought Gordon.  They reached the hallway that led to his room and noticed smoke coming down it.  There were some zoid warriors following the officials, but they stopped as they saw the smoke.

"What's going on?" asked one.  Among the rowdy warriors were Taban, Risai, and Miharu.  They were looking on in curiosity.  The officials decided to go further, so they did.  They ran down the hall, followed by the warriors, who still wanted to know what was going on.

"Sir Rainer, can you hear me?!" shouted Gordon.  "Sir Rainer!"  The warriors all lost their curiosity, replacing it with fear.  Had they just lost another leader?

"Sir Rainer!!" shouted Gordon.  He had to keep trying.  They ran more and eventually came to the area where his office was.  The office had been engulfed in flames and in the hallway was Rainer, who was slumped over in a pile on the floor.  He was unconscious and there was a crack in the wall where he had undoubtedly made contact with it.  The officials were at his side in an instant.

"You warriors," shouted one of them.  "Go get the fire extinguishers and put out those flames!"  Quite a few warriors left to go and do the task.

"Sir Rainer, can you hear me?" asked Gordon, but there was no response from the young man.  "Please be alright, Sir.  You need to wake up."  However, there was still no response from him.  He was, however, breathing, but it was shallow.  Rainer had really gotten himself hurt this time.  His black jacket had been burnt to the point where it was just a bunch of tattered cloth.  The sleeves to his shirt were gone and he had burn marks all over his arms.  He had tried to block the explosion, so his arms had taken in most of the damage.  His legs weren't any better.  There were burn marks everywhere on them.  His pants had been ripped and now had holes in them.  There was a huge gash on his head and the back of it was bleeding as well, most likely because of the impact he had with the wall. 

"We need to get him to the infirmary," said Gordon.  "You three."  He pointed to Taban, Miharu, and Risai.  "Please, go get a stretcher to put him on."  They nodded and quickly left.  The infirmary wasn't far, so they quickly got a rolling stretcher and wheeled it down the hall, back to where Rainer was.  The crowd parted for them as they pushed it towards the officials.  By now, the men who went to get the fire extinguishers had returned and they began to use them to put the fire out.  The officials carefully lifted Rainer up and set him on the stretcher.  The three warriors gasped as they saw the full damage that had been caused.  Rainer was in bad shape.

"Hurry.  Take him back to the infirmary.  The nurse there will know what to do."  They all nodded and then began to wheel the stretcher down the hallway.  It seemed ironic that they'd be the ones.  The three closest warriors to Rainer were the three of them, and they planned to stay until he woke up.  In one week, he had helped them more than ever.  They eventually got to the infirmary and the nurse quickly got to work on fixing him up.  The three of them stayed there until they were told to go to sleep.  Reluctantly, they went back to their rooms.  Each one was lost in thought.  Rainer had done a lot for them, and now there was nothing they could do to save him.  It was all in the hands of the nurse and Rainer himself.  When they had lifted him onto the stretcher, they saw the puddle of blood that was under him.  He had lost a lot more than what they had thought.  Risai was lying awake in her bed, thinking.  'Please don't die Rainer.  You can't die yet.  You're our leader.  You have to lead us in this war.  Don't die.'

******

A few days earlier, Rainer had been watching the battles.  He had gotten bored so he let someone else take over on gathering the data.  Meanwhile, he searched out the three of them.  They had been sitting in the hanger, talking.  Rainer had approached with a smile.

"I'm impressed," he said.  "You guys are really good for beginners."

"Thanks," said Taban.

"You don't need to thank me.  You guys earned it."

"Well, thank you anyway, sir," said Miharu.

"Please, don't call me that.  I get enough of that from the officials at this building.  I'm just Rainer, alright?"

"Alright," they all said.  Rainer just smiled.

"I have a question," said Risai.

"Ask me anything.  I'd be happy to answer."

"What is it that you've been doing lately?  You always seem tired and we hardly ever see you."  Rainer's face grew serious for a minute.

"I've been working in the lab, finishing my father's invention."

"What is it?" asked Taban.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you yet.  However, once it's done, it will be amazing.  Just thinking about it gets me all excited.  However, even when it's done, there's no telling what may happen.  The side effects may be too horrible to even think of using it on people."

"But how will you know if you don't test it on someone?" asked Miharu.

"Simple.  I'll be testing it on myself first."  All of them were shocked at hearing this.

"You can't do that!  What if you die?  Who will lead the ZBC then?" asked Risai.

"It'll be alright.  I don't think anything will happen to me, and besides; if it really works, then it's worth all of the pain I may end up going through.  I will be able to defy all logic.  I'll be able to defy time itself!"

"Time?"

"Oops.  I've said too much.  Pretend you didn't hear that.  Well, I should probably get back up there.  See you guys later!"  And with that, he turned around and ran back out of the room and towards the room where they monitored the zoid battles.

Risai also recalled that night.  She had been out for a while, since she couldn't sleep.  She wandered the halls and eventually ended up on the inside balcony that hung above the arena.  The doors that led to the arena opened, which shocked her.  She stopped walking and turned around to watch what was happening.  The doors that were opening were hidden doors, so it made her all the more curious.  It was still dark in the area, but the lights soon turned on and she ducked down so she wouldn't be seen.  From the doors came a blue zoid.  It was amazing, since Risai had never seen one before.  It was a lot like a Genosaurer, which she had only seen in books.  This was slightly bigger and had more artillery.

"Okay sir, are you ready?" asked someone in the observation booth.  The intercom was on like it was during their trials.

"I was born ready."  The voice was incredibly familiar and Risai quickly matched it with the blue haired leader of the ZBC.  The targets came up from the ground and were quickly shot down by the zoid.  "Wow.  This thing has some nice weapons," said Rainer to himself.

"The Geno Breaker is equipped with a wide variety of weapons, sir."

"I think I want to test its speed and agility."

"Alright sir."  The arena changed to that of a track like one.  A timer was placed above.  Risai watched with interest as the timer started and the Geno Breaker launched itself.  It dodged all of the obstacles and got an amazing time.

"Oh yeah!  I could definitely get used to this!" shouted Rainer happily.  "From now on, I think I'll pilot this zoid."

"I'm glad you're happy sir."  Risai stood up and began to leave the arena area.  'Rainer sure is something.  He'll make a great General.'  She walked back to her room and went to sleep.

******

Risai sighed as she lied awake in her bed.  Now, that amazing teenager was lying unconscious in the infirmary and there wasn't anything they could do to help him.  She lied awake a little while longer and watched as the officials passed by her room.  Gordon was in the back, holding a piece of paper.  Risai got up and walked out of her room.

"Captain!" she shouted, getting the attention of the man.  "What is it?  What's that paper for?"  Gordon just turned to her sadly and handed her the paper.  She read it aloud.

"Dear ZBC.  I hope you liked the present.  We killed your first leader and we won't stop until his son is gone as well.  Mark my words, if that didn't kill him, something else will.  Either way you look at it, he will eventually die.  Look at this incident as the first shot fired.  No matter how you look at it, there's only one conclusion.  This war has begun."

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Look, look!  I did do it, see?

Hahahahaha!  Anyway, that was a lot of fun, so please review!  I like reviews a lot, so review and I'll write more soon.  Sound good^.^

Happy Independence Day!

Audi^.^


	6. Lab Work

Ah, my happy medium.  I'm so happy^.^  I don't know exactly why I'm happy.  I just am.  Writing is so much fun.  I hope you guys all like this chapter.

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it^.^

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids, but I do own basically every character in this story.  I don't, however, own the song "Right Here Waiting".  Richard Marx has the rights to it.

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Two days after the accident, Rainer woke up.  He was told to stay in bed for at least a week.  He had officials in the room at all times.  They were still jumpy about the assassination attempt, especially since it was probably someone in the base.  Rainer spent his time with a clipboard, some paper, and a pencil.  Some of the warriors would come to visit him and only then would he put it down.  He wouldn't show anyone what he was working on, however.  After about three days of doing this, he decided to get out of bed.  It was late and the officials were all sleeping.  Even the guards had managed to fall asleep.  Rainer limped out of the room, taking note of his injuries.  He had the clipboard tucked under his arm as he carefully and silently walked down the hall and towards the labs.  Everyone at the base was asleep, so he didn't have to worry about getting caught.  His week wasn't even half over yet, but he didn't care.  He was their general and he figured he could do what he wanted.  He walked into the lab and closed the door behind him, flipping the light switch.  This room was filled with computers and monitors, each one doing something and printing out data.  He walked through the room and to the middle.  There was a chair there with a helmet built over it.  It looked like an electric one, similar to the execution chairs they used at prisons.  However, its purpose was completely the opposite.  Rainer set his clipboard down and went over to a chair near the main monitor.  He sat down and looked over some of the data printouts.

"I've got a lot of work to do," he said to himself.

"Can't it wait until later?"  Rainer froze and quickly spun around in his chair.  In the doorway stood the three warriors he was glad to call his friends.  Taban, Miharu, and Risai were watching him, curious.  Rainer sighed, realizing that he could probably convince them to let him stay in the lab.  If Gordon had come, the overprotective captain would have probably carried Rainer back to the room himself.

"It's just you guys," said Rainer, his relief showing.  "What are you doing up?"

"We could ask you the same thing," said Miharu.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" asked Risai.  "You're still injured."

"I'll be fine.  I just really need to work on this," he answered.  He turned around in his chair.  "This whole incident has made me realized just how badly I need these upgrades."

"Upgrades?" questioned Taban.

"Yes," he said simply, not planning on telling them anymore about it.

"Just what do you mean?" asked Risai.  Well, there went his plan on not saying anything.  He knew they'd keep asking if he didn't answer them.  He sighed and turned around to face them again.

"It's called the agent project," he began.  "I want to create perfect soldiers, agents, if you will.  They'll be people who can't die from age."

"How is that possible?" asked Taban, confused at the very idea.  He then remembered what Rainer had said before.  "So that's what you meant when you mentioned 'defying time'."

"Yes.  It's a simple process.  Each person will have to take a special kind of drug that interferes with the brain waves.  At this time, we'll use this machine here to alter the brain waves.  In doing so, we will make it so that the second someone reaches the age of 21, they stop aging.  Their bodies won't age a day passed twenty one."

"Why twenty one?" asked Miharu.

"Because it's the perfect age.  A lot of people are at their peak when they're twenty one.  They're no longer a teenager, but they aren't much of an adult yet.  It's the best age to keep someone at."  Rainer sighed, thinking about the work that had to be done.  "There's so much I have left to do.  I'm basically working on this project by myself.  I recently finished drawing out the plan.  I need to alter the way this machine works, though.  The drug has been created, but this machine could easily kill someone if I were to try it out now.  I need to work on it a little.  Altering a person's brain waves is anything but safe.  Even once I've perfected it, there's still a lot that could go wrong.  People could easily get sick from the exposure, or fall into comas, or in the worst cases…they might die."  His turned his eyes back to them.  "That's why I have to be the first person to undergo this alteration.  I don't want to risk the lives of my men and then get blamed if they die."

"But what if you die?" asked Risai.

"Then Gordon will take over."  Rainer spun around in his chair and turned back to the console.  "I need to get to work now."  He was expecting them to leave, but they simply came closer to him.

"Do you need any help?" asked Taban.  Rainer was a little surprised at the offer.  He glanced back at them.

"You guys are really willing to help me out?" he asked.

"Of course.  We'll help in any way we can," said Miharu.  This brought a smile to Rainer's face.

"Unbelievable," he whispered.

"What?" asked Risai.

"I've never…had friends quite like you guys before," he told them.  "It's just…new, that's all."  Rainer shook his head.  "Okay, enough sentimental stuff.  Let's get to work." 

******

Every night the four of them would work a little more on Rainer's invention.  Soon enough, his week was over and he was allowed to go back to his newly redone office.  He was rarely around during the training exercises.  He spent most of his time in the lab, working to perfect his father's invention.  Occasionally, he'd take a break and walk around the base, not having anything else to do.  He was currently doing just that.  It would take a few more days to complete his machine, but he was pleased at how far he had come on it.  He owed a lot to his three friends who had not only kept his late nights a secret but helped him during them.  He had never had friends like that before.  He was really growing attached to the three pilots.  They were the only ones at the base who weren't formal with him.  Everyone else addressed him as "sir" and "general".  And then there was Gordon, the man who was half formal and half informal.  It was strange.  He had more nicknames than ever now.  At least he was no longer called "the boss's son".  That name had been quite popular until about a month ago.  Rainer jammed his hands in his pockets and sighed.  He still missed his father.  Being a leader was hard.  His pace slowed as he began to make his way to the balcony of the special training ground.  He really slowed when he saw Risai sitting on the thin balcony railing, her legs swinging back and forth as she hummed to herself.  It was a familiar song, one that he knew quite well.  It was beautiful and he couldn't help but notice that for fifteen, she was also quite lovely.  Her long cerulean hair was down for a change and her deep blue eyes were distant.  Rainer smiled to himself and then began to make his way over, going quietly so that he wouldn't disturb her.  She wasn't the jumpy type, though, and he knew that even if he did surprise her, she wouldn't show it.  He was soon directly behind her.

"That's a lovely tune," he said to her.  Just as he predicted, she didn't jump, only straightened and stopped her humming.  She turned to him, her eyes showing her surprise.  She met a pair of smiling navy colored eyes, belonging to the young general.  "What song is it?" he asked, even though he already knew what it was.

"It's just a song my mom used to sing to me," she told him.

"I see," he said softly, coming to the railing next to her.  He rested his arms on it and looked out at the training ground.  "My mom used to sing to me when I was younger," he told her.

"What was your mother like?" asked Risai.

"She was a beautiful woman, strong and brave, but also very caring.  She supported my father fully with his work and she always took care of us.  Dad and I both loved her dearly.  She was the perfect mother, but then she…"  His voice grew quiet and his smile fell.  He turned away from Risai's curious eyes as he continued.  "…she got sick.  She contracted a deadly virus, one that couldn't be treated.  Dad tried to find a cure.  He was a well respected scientist, so he did his best to try and find a way to save her, but he just couldn't.  Mom wasn't strong enough to beat it.  We lost her…nine years ago."

"I'm sorry Rainer, really I am," she told him and she truly did understand.  "You're not alone."  He turned to her at that statement and Risai knew he would ask her.

"What about your parents, Risai?"

"My mother died when I was only five," she explained sadly.  "Taban often says that I look like her, but he has her eyes.  I really miss mom.  She was amazing.  She'd take us to the lake a lot during the summer.  She was always so kind."

"What about your father?" he asked.  Risai's expression became unreadable as she looked away.

"My father hated me," she stated, refusing to meet Rainer's questioning eyes.  "He thought I was weak.  He would have gotten rid of me if it hadn't been for mom and Taban.  He won't come out and say it, but dad left because of me.  He left because he couldn't handle it.  He left us alone.  Luckily, Miharu's family let us stay with them until Taban had saved up enough money to buy an apartment for us.  He's always been there for me and so has Miharu.  They're the only family I have left."

"You're lucky to have them," said Rainer.  "I'm afraid I don't have any family left.  I have Gordon, but he can't even bring himself to drop the 'sir' when talking to me.  To be completely honest, the three of you are the first real friends I've ever had."

"Really?" asked Risai, shocked.

"I'm afraid so.  After mom died, I spent a lot of my time in the labs with dad, learning about what kind of work he did.  I became an expert in science and they'd even let me help out occasionally.  It was great.  When dad decided to start the ZBC, I supported him fully.  I knew one day I'd take over for him, but I never thought I'd have to this soon.  I mean, I'm only nineteen.  I barely have any experience."  He turned around and was now leaning against the railing.  He looked to Risai and smiled.  "How about singing that song for me?" he asked.  Risai's eyes widened in question.

"What?"

"It's one of my favorite songs.  I'd sing it myself, but I bet it'd sound better from you."  Risai blushed at the compliment and then turned away.

"I'm sorry, but I don't sing in public."

"You're not in public.  It's just me.  I won't laugh or say anything, I promise."  Risai bit her lip nervously and then finally just decided to give in.  He apparently really wanted to hear her sing.

"Alright, but you can't tell anyone, okay?  And you better keep your promise."

"I will.  You can trust me."  Risai took in a deep breath in order to calm herself before beginning.

"Oceans apart day after day

And I slowly go insane

I hear your voice on the line

But it doesn't stop the pain

If I see you next to never

How can we say forever

Wherever you go

Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes

Or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you."  Rainer smiled.  She really did sing it much better than he did.  Their moment was soon interrupted by a large explosion outside that shook the base.  Rainer snapped to attention when he heard Risai cry out.  She had lost her balance and was now falling from the railing.  He quickly spun around and caught her by the wrist.  They both held perfectly still as the base continued to shake with explosions.  Rainer's grip was tight on her wrist and he slowly began to pull her back up.  She was soon safely back on the balcony.  She was trying to catch her breath.  She had been so scared.

"Are you alright?" asked Rainer, his tone full of worry.

"I'm fine," she told him.  "Thanks."

"No problem."  Risai stood up next to him as the base shook again.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Sir Rainer!" shouted captain Gordon as he ran down the hall towards his leader.

"What is it, Gordon?" asked Rainer.

"We're under attack, sir!  It's the Dark Blazers!"  Rainer's eyes narrowed when Gordon mentioned that name.

"Captain, get my zoid ready," said Rainer.

"Yes sir."

"You're going out there?" asked Risai.

"I have to.  This is my army and my war.  I have to fight it."  The doors to the training grounds opened and a blue zoid emerged.  It was the same one Risai had seen that night.  It was the Geno Breaker.  Rainer ran along the balcony and soon got over it.  He jumped from the balcony and landed gracefully in the cockpit.  Risai simply watched as the zoid sprang to life and the cockpit closed.  "Risai, you stay here," he told her over the com-link.  She wasn't about to argue with him now.  She simply watched as the zoid turned and went back through the doors, which would eventually lead to the battle that was taking place outside.

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That's all for now.  Now you know a little bit more about the two cerulean haired people in this story.  I hope you enjoyed it.

I'm sorry that the last time I updated this was in july.  I really am sorry.

I didn't mean to.

Well, please remember to review^.^  It would make me happy.

Bye until then!


	7. Project Agent

Happy Holidays!  I hope you enjoy^.^

Short chapter this time.  Sorry.

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids.

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Rainer soon got to the battle outside.  His Geno Breaker was a smaller zoid than some others, but it was in no way inferior to any zoid.  It was once thought to be long extinct, but they had found one.  He loved the zoid.  It was powerful and suited for an advanced pilot.  He would be unstoppable when he had those enhancements done.  He looked out at the battlefield.  His guards were getting slaughtered by a group of black zoids.  Some were Zaber Fangs, some were Hellcats.  He didn't care.  He was going to end this quickly.

"So," said a deep voice echoing through his cockpit.  "The general finally appears.  Strange, I thought you were dead."

"Yeah, well, it'll take much more than a bomb to get rid of me.  I'm no idiot," he told them, his voice lacking its usual humor.

"Where are your precious troops?" he asked from his Dark Horn.

"I'm more than enough for all of you, or don't you know what kind of zoid this is?" asked Rainer in a cocky yet serious tone.

"I must say I've never seen a zoid quite like it, but that doesn't matter.  As soon as we kill you, we'll take it back with us."

"I don't think so."  The clamps on the back of the feet went down and the tail extended.  The zoid straightened and a cannon appeared in its mouth.

"Have you ever heard of a Geno Breaker?" asked Rainer.

"What are you doing?" asked the man, frightened.

"I'm going to get rid of you, all of you," he said.  A Zaber Fang tried to charge from the left, but Rainer quickly activated his boosters, his zoid now levitating by use of the ion boosters near its legs.  He aimed the cannon.

"This is a message to the Dark Blazers," he said.  "I'm not going to take this sitting down.  I won't hold back, none of us will.  Let the war begin."  He fired his cannon, the charged particles spreading out in a large and destructive beam.  He destroyed every zoid in his path, turning his Geno Breaker to get the rest of them.  Soon enough, the enemy zoids were gone, vaporized.  The Geno Breaker landed on the ground gently, the cannon going back into the zoid.  Rainer smirked at his work.  That had been easy.  He turned his zoid around to go back inside.  He had lab work to do.  The agent project was almost complete.

******

Almost an entire week went by since Rainer's battle.  He spent all his time in the labs, working on his little project.  Everyone was beginning to worry about him.  They never saw him.

One day, different sounds were heard from the lab, so Risai, Taban, and Miharu stood outside the doors, waiting.  Lights flashed in the room and they weren't sure what was going on.  After a while, the lights stopped.  They still waited.  The doors opened and Rainer walked out, wearing a pair of black glasses with his mostly black outfit.

"Hey guys," he said happily.  He seemed a little different from before.  "What's up?"

"We were beginning to worry about you," said Miharu.  "We haven't seen you in nearly a week."

"I'm sorry about that, but I have great news," he said, hardly able to contain his excitement.

"What is it?" asked Risai.

"I finished it!  The agent project has bee finished!" he exclaimed.

"You really did it?" asked Taban.

"Yeah, and it worked like a charm," said Rainer.  He reached up and removed his sunglasses, exposing his eyes.  His once navy blue eyes were now a cerulean color, similar to Risai's.

"Your eyes," pointed out Miharu.  "They're…"

"Different?" he finished for her.  "I know.  It's a strange side effect, but I don't mind much."

"Side effect?" questioned Taban.

"I told you I finished the experiment and it was a success.  How do you think I know that?" he asked cheerfully, not wanting to just come out and tell them what was going on.  Risai was the first to get it.

"You did it…you tested it on yourself," she said.

"Exactly, and absolutely nothing happened to me.  I'm just fine, but I feel kind of weird.  I must say, it's different from what I thought I'd feel."

"It didn't hurt?" asked Miharu.

"Not at all.  It was a painless experiment.  However, the thing is, I'm not sure how well it'll work on others.  Ages may make a difference, body build, gender, etc.  I haven't had enough time to test all of that."

"What now?" asked Taban.

"I think I'll put up a roster.  I want to see how many will be willing to go through with this.  I want our best warriors to go through with it, though.  I want to preserve our best fighters so that we have a good chance at winning."

"So just what is the difference between what you were and what you are now?" asked Miharu.

"It's simple.  If you take a look at a neurological scan, you'll see that my brain waves have been altered greatly.  I'm more…for lack of a better term…aware.  It's odd.  My senses are enhanced, I feel much stronger, and soon I'll be able to control a zoid partially with my mind."

"Interesting," said Taban.  "And you're sure this is safe?"

"Well…there's always a risk involved when messing with a person's electrical pulses, but for the most part, it should work.  It just won't work for people over twenty one.  I already know this for a fact.  I can only stop time with this project, not reverse it."

"What about the minimum age?" questioned Taban.

"I'm not sure.  I'm nineteen, but I'm not sure how young you can be for it to work.  Again, I'll have to run a few tests and check it out.  Once I get an actual agent team, I'll get some decent equipment for them, but right now, this is still just an experiment."  Taban simply nodded, taking in every word Rainer said.

"Why so curious, bro?" asked Risai.

"It's an interesting concept," said Taban.  "To be able to stop aging at the age of twenty one is hard to believe possible, but if it really works, it'll be amazing.  I mean, just thinking about it gets even me excited."

"Taban," said Miharu seriously.  "Are you thinking…what I think you're thinking?"

"It depends.  If you think I'm considering going through with this, then you'd be right."  Rainer smiled at that.  His experiment had already impressed someone.

"Well," began the general.  "If you're thinking of doing it, then just sign up.  I'll make a public announcement, explain what it is, and then ask people if they want to do it."

"Alright," said Taban, a smile on his face.  Rainer turned and went back into the room to work a little more on his project.

"Taban, are you serious about this?" asked Risai, her voice holding her excitement.

"I think it would be interesting," he told them.  "The idea of never aging is amazing.  Besides, I want to live to see the end of this war, and this is the best way to guarantee that I will."

"Well," began Miharu.  "I guess I could always do it as well."

"If both of you are going through with this, than you can't leave me out," insisted Risai.  Taban glanced at his younger sister, his face taking on that concerned brother look.  He was really good at that one.

"If it turns out to be too dangerous, I don't want you going through with it," he told her.

"You're not leaving me out," she told him seriously.  "I _will_ go through with it, whether you want me to or not."

"I'm your brother and you will do what I tell you.  I'm not saying no.  I'm just saying that if it turns out to be too much of a risk, you're not doing it.  I'm not about to lose my sister."  Risai would usually snap back, but that little ending there caught her off guard.  His voice held his sorrow.  He was lonely and missed their parents probably more than she did.

"Alright," she told him.  "I'll agree to those terms."  She wasn't about to not agree.  He was, after all, her brother.  She'd listen to him for now.  However, if he and Miharu went through with it, she wasn't going to be left behind.  She'd go through with it if they did.

'Because you see, Taban,' she thought to herself.  '…I don't want to be alone either.'  

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Again, happy holidays.

Bye for now!


	8. Always a Down Side

Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to take so long. I apologize to those of you who may still be reading this. I hope there's at least one of you still out there. To make up for my lack of being here, I've written a very nice, long chapter. Okay? Okay, so here we go. I hope you enjoy, and to those of you who celebrate it, happy Thanksgiving!

I don't own Zoids, so there. Ha!

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Everyone had gathered into the large conference room at the base, now awaiting the message they had been called there to receive. Apparently, their general wanted to discuss something with all of them. It had something to do with an experiment he had been working on. He hadn't bothered to tell anyone what it was yet, so they were all hoping that that's why he called this meeting. Hopefully they'd get to see just what the big deal was.

Eventually, Rainer made his way in and walked over to the podium. The entire room fell silent, everyone's eyes now on the young general. Many couldn't help but notice that he looked a bit different than before. He had such a bright smile on his face, and his eyes seemed just a bit lighter in both essence and color. No one could quite put their finger on it, but there was indeed something different about their leader.

"Hello," he greeted with a smile. "I'm glad you all came. I have a very important announcement to make, and I want you to know ahead of time that I'm not making any of this up. It may be a bit hard to believe, but believe me when I say I would never lie to you." He cleared his throat and took a deep breath, deciding to get on with the reason as to why they were here. "I'm sure a lot of you know that I've been working on a rather complicated experiment. It was one that my father began, and now I've finished it. It's a very complicated machine that has the ability to…well, for lack of a better phrase, it can stop time." He received a few murmurs with that. "What this means is that it can stop the aging process. It can keep someone at the prime age of twenty-one, assuming they aren't already past that point in their life."

"How's that possible?" asked someone in the crowd. "How do you even know it works?"

"That's simple," smirked Rainer. "I've already tested it…on myself." He just smiled more as the crowd began whispering things, none of which concerned him much. "Let me explain just how this works. I've invented a certain type of drug that can alter the flow of brain waves. While under the influence of this drug, a machine is used, one that changes the electrical pulses in one's brain, trapping their body in an altered state. The second they are to reach the age of twenty-one, they'll stop aging. However, it does more than just that. Everything, your senses, reaction times, your awareness in general, is enhanced. Piloting a zoid will become easier. It'll almost be like an extension of your body." There were a few more whispers before Rainer cleared his throat and continued. "Many of you may be wondering just why we're doing this. Well, I want to preserve our warriors, because this war could go on for a while. I, personally, wanna see this thing through to the very end. I want to be there when the last member of the Dark Blazers falls. I wanna be there…when we win this war."

Everyone in the room took a moment to think this over. Was their general insane, or was everything he had just said the truth? Had he really invented a machine that could stop the process of aging? It was obviously safe if he was still alive, so in theory, there was no downside to this. Nothing had happened to him. Rainer was fine. Hopefully that meant that the rest of them would be alright too. However, this was only in theory. There was no telling what could actually happen. However, every person in that room shared the same view as he did. They wanted to be there to see the end of the war. They wanted to participate in actual zoid battles. They wanted to see the survival of the ZBC. It was important to them all.

"If you'd like to participate," began Rainer, directing their attention towards the far wall, "then please sign your name over there. I'm hoping for a good turn out, but remember. No one above the age of twenty-one can participate. That is all." And with that said, he left the room, leaving his zoid warriors to choose what they wanted to do. Hopefully he'd have a good list to choose from. Also, there were three names he was hoping to see on his list. They were the three people he wanted to fight along side. They were the only friends he had, and he wanted to stay with them. If they became agents, then there'd be no problem.

----------

"No," stated Taban as he took the pen out of his sister's hand. Risai scowled deeply, reaching for the writing utensil.

"Come on, Taban," she pleaded. "I wanna sign up."

"Not until we're a hundred percent sure that nothing'll happen," he stated, tucking the pen safely in one of his pockets. "I thought we already went through this? I told you that you have to wait."

"But you and Miharu signed up, so why can't I? You're not leaving me out."

"Just be patient, alright? I already told you that as soon as we're sure it's safe, you can sign up." Risai just crossed her arms and gave her brother a very displeased glare, one he only gave a sigh towards. He just turned around and began to walk away, leaving his sibling to fume over her dilemma.

"Stupid Taban," she muttered, followed by a few unladylike insults. Miharu just laughed a bit, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Don't be mad at him," she said sweetly. "He's just concerned. You're all he has, remember?" Risia just sighed deeply, dropping her crossed arms.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to lecture me, but how do you think I feel? I don't want you guys leaving me behind."

"Wow…" they heard a familiar voice say. They both turned and saw Rainer standing there. They hadn't even heard him approach. Maybe that was also part of being an agent. "That's a lot of people." He just turned and gave them both a smile. "There's already over a hundred."

"Rainer," began Miharu, snapping him from his happy trance. "You _are_ gonna test this out before experimenting on all these people, right?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, you mentioned before that anything from age to gender could be a problem. What's the age limit?"

"I'm not exactly sure yet, but don't worry. We'll figure it out as we go along. I'm sure nothing bad'll happen. I mean, the only worst case would probably be a cold or something." He just gave them both an overconfident smile. "Don't worry. No one'll die or anything. It's simple. It either alters your brain waves or it doesn't. You either become an agent or you stay a normal human. That's all." He began walking away, heading back towards his office.

"He's too cocky," stated Miharu. _Something tells me that this isn't going to go according to plan._

"You worry too much," stated Risai as she began walking away as well. "Rainer built the machine. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. He's still alive, after all." Miharu just watched as Risai disappeared amongst the crowd of people. _It looks like Rainer's not the only one who's cocky. Hopefully this'll all work out. I don't wanna know what'll happen if it doesn't._

----------

Two days later, people were lining up for the process to become one of Rainer's glorified agents. They flocked in, all under the influence of the self made drug. Now it was time to see just what this was all about. It was time for the limits of his machine to be tested. Hopefully nothing bad would happen to any of them. He was trying to enhance his force, not weaken it. Besides, he didn't need anyone's death on his hands. However, each and every person standing there knew the risks involved. They knew the possibility of death was a real threat. They were still willing to do it though. Immortality had always been appealing, and now that they had a way to reach it, to preserve their youthful selves, they would take whatever risks necessary to obtain that. Humans were power hungry creatures, and Rainer himself was no excuse.

"Strange," said Taban as he and Miharu walked out of the laboratory. "I thought it'd at least hurt a little, but I didn't feel anything."

"Yeah, I know," she agreed, playing with the pair of sunglasses she had been given. She put them on, just for kicks. "How are we sure it even worked?" Taban stopped abruptly and turned to face her, causing Miharu to freeze in place. She just stood there, staring at him for a moment. He was standing just a little too close. He reached up and took the sunglasses from her, peering into her eyes. A smile crossed his face.

"Your eyes changed," he told her. Her now cerulean eyes widened a bit when she noticed that Taban's once green eyes had also become a rather pure blue.

"Amazing," she whispered, watching as Taban's lips curled into an even larger grin. "They really suit you."

"Thanks…"

"Hey!" called Rainer as he came strolling down the hallway, seeming to be in one of the brightest moods possible. Both Taban and Miharu turned to face him, and he stopped for a moment, looking a little startled. "Um…did I interrupt something?" Taban and Miharu quickly realized just how close they were standing and instantly pulled away, seeming just a bit embarrassed.

"No, nothing," responded Taban.

"You sure seem in a good mood," pointed out Miharu, and Rainer's smile returned.

"It's going perfectly. We're getting such great results. How could I not be pleased? Sure, some people aren't affected at all, but just as many are a success. At this rate, we'll have the most powerful army that Zi has ever seen!" And with that stated, he turned down a hallway and began on his merry way, still indulging in the joy of his project.

"He's too cocky," stated Taban, drawing Miharu's attention.

"My thoughts exactly," she agreed. "I get the feeling that something's going to happen, but hopefully I'm wrong." Taban just nodded in agreement. He wanted everything to go just fine, because he wanted Risai to go through this as well. He wanted her to stay with them. She needed to stay his little sister forever, and this was the only way for that to be possible. He didn't want anything bad to happen to those people in the laboratory. _Hopefully everything will go okay. Hopefully…_

----------

Rainer heaved a deep sigh as the last of his pilots went through the experiment. There weren't any more names on his list. He could finally shut the machine down for the night. However, just as he was about to, he heard a knock at the laboratory door. He quickly walked over and opened it. A smile crossed his face when he saw Risai standing there.

"Hey," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing much," she responded as she stepped into the room. Her eyes quickly landed on the machine for the agent project. A sly smile crossed her face. "I was actually wondering…if I could use that." Rainer followed her sights and saw that she was talking about his machine.

"Your name wasn't on the list," he told her, as if asking why.

"Yeah, well, Taban wouldn't let me sign up until he was sure it was safe," she explained. "And it obviously is, so can I?"

"Well…" he began, seeming just a bit skeptical. She was probably their youngest pilot. He wasn't sure if it'd work or not.

"Please Rainer?" she pleaded, turning around and giving him her best puppy dog eyes. He couldn't help but smile, heaving a small sigh.

"Very well," he replied. "Come on. It won't take long."

----------

The next day came around faster than any of them expected, and Rainer was once again floating on cloud nine. He was incredibly pleased with the turnouts of his experiment. It had worked on so many people already. Maybe the few it hadn't worked on were having delayed reactions. If that really was the case, then it would just float him higher than ever. Nothing was about to shatter his little world…at least not until he saw Gordon running down the hallway.

"Sir Rainer!" called the captain in worry. When he finally reached the young general, he began panting, as if he had just ran through the entire base.

"What is it?" asked Rainer, unable to keep the worry and anxiety out of his voice. Something really had to be bad if Gordon looked this upset. The captain was never frantic unless the problem was severe.

"You have to see this! Come on!" Gordon grabbed Rainer's wrist and began pulling him down the hallway. They were heading towards the rather large medical vicinity in the base. Gordon threw open the door to the infirmary, and what Rainer saw had him paralyzed with fear. It was like a war zone in there. The nurses and doctors were all in a frenzy, running from one side of the room to the next, trying to take care of the next to fifty people present in the room.

"W-what's going on?" he asked, recognizing quite a few of these men and women. They were all from the agent project.

"We're not sure," responded Gordon. "Sometime this morning, all of these people began feeling sick. Some have slipped into commas, others seem to be suffering from something similar to the flu or pneumonia. And then…others…" Rainer heard what sounded like a heart monitor suddenly hit a flat line, and his eyes shot over to it. The nurses were doing all they could to revive the man, but nothing was working. One of his soldiers had just died.

"But this…this can't be…" he began, taking a fearful step back. "I…I did this." Gordon turned around to face his general, his own eyes filling with pity for the nineteen-year-old. "My project…it's killing them. This is all my fault, I…" Something else quickly pulled at his mind, and he felt his heart lock up a bit. "Taban and Miharu…are they…?"

"The two of them are just fine," he explained. "They're in the smaller medical section, doing what they can to help. There are two others who seem to be fine as well, one girl and one guy. I also sent them to the other infirmary." His expression fell a bit as he once again turned towards the room. "It seems…that those who were already twenty-one weren't able to handle it. That man, Toran, I think, was the only one. It seems that this relies on more than just age and gender. Body build, immune systems, blood type…there are so many other deciding factors. So far, however…anyone below the age of seventeen hasn't survived."

A choked sounding gasp came from Rainer's throat as his whole body suddenly froze on him. _Risai__…_ Rainer suddenly turned around and broke into a sprint, heading far away from the medical room. He had someone he had to find. He had to make sure that Risai was alright. He wasn't even sure if the agent project had worked on her. Her eyes were already that deep cerulean blue. How was he supposed to know if she was in any danger now or not? If she wasn't, he'd look pretty stupid in a few seconds.

When he finally reached her room, he quickly threw open the door, not even bothering to knock.

"Risai!" he shouted, startling her just a bit. She was currently in the process of making her bed, but she stopped the instant she saw Rainer.

"Hey," she greeted, pushing aside a strand of her long blue hair that had decided to fall before her eyes. She seemed almost oblivious to the way Rainer was panting, to the look of fear etched on his face. "Good morning." Rainer didn't respond at all. He was still trying to catch his breath, hoping that his heart would stop racing. He really had been scared for a moment. He had been afraid to find her like all the others. She was one of the only friends he had, and he didn't want anything happening to her.

"Thank God," he whispered, allowing a small smile to cross his face. "You're alright." She just gave him a rather confused stare, and he just smiled more. _Thank God. Taban would've killed me if anything had happened._

"Is something wrong?" she asked him curiously. Rainer wasn't usually so shaken up.

"It's nothing," he lied. "Don't worry."

"Okay," she said as she went back to making her bed, her long hair once again pooling over her shoulders and finding its way to her eyes. Rainer just smiled as he watched her for a second. _For fifteen, she sure is cute…good God, what am I thinking?!_ He just shook his head and began to leave the room, but the sound of something breaking quickly caught his attention. He glanced back and saw Risai standing by her desk, her hands placed against it, as if for support.

"Risai?" he questioned.

"I'm okay," she assured him, flashing him a small smile. "Just a little dizzy is all." She stood up again, and tried to take a step forward, nearly tripping over her own two feet. Rainer just stood there, watching as she steadied herself out, placing a hand to her forehead. There was sweat beading down from her temples.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, fearing the answer.

"It's…it's really hot," she told him, her eyes barely able to stay open anymore. The world around her felt like it was spinning, and she couldn't take it. She allowed herself to slip into darkness, wanting nothing more than for the pain in her head to go away.

"Risai!" shouted Rainer as he ran in just in time to catch her. "Risai? Hey, wake up!" He shook her a bit, but nothing happened. She didn't respond. "Come on…you gotta wake up. Risai? Risai!"

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Wow, that was a nice, long chapter. I have to say I enjoyed writing this one. It was interesting. Well, please remember to review! Bye until the next time!


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